There is an old axiom in baseball that says your momentum is only as strong as the next day's starting pitcher. The same can be said for economic development. Investment and job attraction can come to a screeching halt even in communities that appear to be on an incredible roll. Still, just as baseball teams lament running into an opponent on a hot streak, economic development organizations know that wins lead to more wins and it's not by accident.

 

Lately, we have enjoyed a great deal of momentum Where Tennessee Begins Its Business Day and, judging by the activity level that has our office buzzing these days, we are optimistic that more announcements are just around the corner. In this issue of the NETWORKS Newsletter, you will find stories about a major existing industry expansion (Teleperformance), and a coal company that has emerged from bankruptcy to split into two companies, then relocate them both to Sullivan County (Alpha Natural Resources and Contura Energy). You can also read about our third annual Northeast Tennessee Red Carpet Tour, a marketing event that culminates with VIP treatment at the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race that has already led to investment and job creation and has generated other leads, not just for Sullivan and Hawkins counties, but for the entire region. Executive Project Manager Michael Parker has done an outstanding job of heading this initiative, supported by our entire team at NETWORKS, our community partners, and partners throughout the region, which this year included the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and Oak Ridge National Laboratories. (We received incredibly positive feedback from our guests on such a strong showing of regional cooperation; "you guys just get it," is a phrase we heard often.)

 

This remarkable momentum doesn't end with NETWORKS. Tri-Cities Regional Airport has officially cut the ribbon on its renovations, announced an upcoming name change, and created a new logo, to be implemented soon. Additionally, Director Patrick Wilson and Director of Trade and Business Development Mark Canty have been meeting with city and county elected leaders throughout the region to discuss funding site work for Aerospace Park. NETWORKS and the airport co-hosted a Foreign Trade Zone seminar last month. All of that was on top of being a key partner for our Red Carpet Tour; now that's a busy quarter! Speaking of Red Carpet Tour partners, Bristol Motor Speedway brought even more positive attention to our region by hosting the Battle at Bristol, a football game between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech that set an attendance record. (It didn't hurt that the Volunteers destroyed the Hokies.) That event helped Sullivan County enjoy far more tourism economic impact than any other county in Northeast Tennessee.

 

Many of these events lured some very important state leaders to our neck of the woods, including Governor Haslam, Economic Development Commissioner Randy Boyd, and Education Commissioner Candice McQueen. Commissioner Boyd has plenty of reason to be happy these days; in addition to coming off a record year in terms of new jobs and investment, Tennessee was named the State of the Year for Economic Development by Southern Business and Development magazine. Tennessee also ranked fourth in Area Development magazine's Top States for Doing Business, earning marks in the top six in eight of the nine categories.

 

Partners TVA and AEP also were recognized by the media, both being named as a Top Utility for Economic Development by Site Selection magazine. And Sullivan and Hawkins counties and Aerospace Park received some national exposure when I was interviewed about our growing aerospace cluster in Expansion Solutions magazine.

 

It is certainly a great time to be a part of Team Tennessee. It is critical that we not be simply on the team, but that we are a valuable player. To that end, we partnered with the Tennessee Economic Partnership on several initiatives and strategic planning and I was one of the Board officers quoted in a feature story in Expansion Solutions magazine, with another sidebar Q&A with me regarding our industrial sites and workforce. I also had the pleasure of making a presentation on Marketing Techniques and Technology Tools to the Tennessee Certified Economic Developer program in August. (Although she wasn't in attendance for that particular session, Marketing and Administrative Coordinator Dana Glenn is participating in that program.) The more visible we are and the more we can help in shining the spotlight on Tennessee, the more front-of-mind awareness we will have with our partners, most notably TNECD.

 

Mainstay companies Eastman and Pal's Sudden Service also brought great attention to Sullivan County. Eastman hosted its inaugural IDEAcademy, a collaborative effort with East Tennessee State University. Some 500 professionals attended the event which, themed "Leading Innovation and Change," was described by Eastman Senior Vice President and Legal Officer David Golden (who happens to sit on our board) as a collision of creativity. Pal's grabbed attention as one of a handful of companies featured in a new book, titled Simply Brilliant. The book, authored by Bill Taylor, focuses on extraordinary companies.

 

We continued our focus on existing industry services over the past several months. Northeast State Community College Vice President, Economic and Workforce Development (and NETWORKS Board Member) Jeff McCord is leading our county's efforts toward certification as a Work Ready Community and we are proud to be the first EDO east of Knoxville to become members of Regional Engine-MFG, a unique regional manufacturers' association. NETWORKS joins Bell Helicopter and the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing as Sullivan County members. Project Manager Brian Ritz joined a meeting of some 45 manufacturing and education professionals from across Eastern Tennessee at those two locations for meetings just last week.

 

We attended the International Food Technologies show in Chicago in July, designed and published several ads in print and on-line versions of site selection publications, and answered several Requests for Information from TNECD and site location consultants along the way. Our partners in Bristol included us in a meeting with TVA to discuss product development. Along product development lines, it was announced last week that Hawkins County schools will receive a LEAP grant to promote workforce development. Staff also remained active in economic development professional organizations and continued education with Dana attending the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) conference in Cleveland, Ohio, and Brian, Michael, and me attending the Tennessee Economic Development Council (TEDC) annual meeting with several of our partners in Franklin. We've even upgraded this newsletter by adding links to stories, videos, press releases, and other appropriate content that we hope you will enjoy.

 

Whew! That sounds like a lot when you write it all down. But when you have all this momentum, you want to do all you can to keep it going.